The Short List: The Week's Recommended Shows

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Please don't hold the fact that Brighton, England, power duo Blood Red Shoes are impossibly sexy against them. Guitarist Laura-Mary Carter and drummer Steven Ansell trade off vocals, share ragged harmonies and deliver a love letter to the Clinton years on their latest, Fire Like This. Counting Nirvana, Blur and PJ Harvey among their influences, BRS break down and repackage all things good about the '90s in a sleek yet edgy and contemporary way. Think Frank Black and Kim Deal in a two-person Pixies married to the Ting Tings. Tracks like "Light It Up" prove they are musically as hot as the promise of their headshots would lead you to believe. With Sky Larkin, Blue Light Curtain. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 9:30 p.m. $10. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR

Deadmau5 / Wednesday, October 13

These days, every dude with a laptop and a set of turntables refers to himself as a DJ. (e.g.: Paul "DJ Pauly D" DelVecchio of Jersey Shore). But progressive house producer Deadmau5 slams his less talented peers, claiming that he doesn't fly halfway across the world to "hit a spacebar and do a couple of fist pumps." He delivers far more during his sets, donning a crystal-encrusted mouse mask and dancing and leaping across the stage, storming through a prolific collection of hypnotic tracks, including those on his most recent album For Lack of a Better Name. Many of the tech-savvy Toronto native's diehard fans rock mouse ears and Mickey Mouse-style gloves on the dance floor. So dig up your childhood Disneyland paraphernalia. It can definitely be recycled this evening. With Die Antwoord, Skrillex. Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., 877-STG-4TIX. 8 p.m. $36.50. All ages. ERIKA HOBART

Holy Fuck / Wednesday, October 13

With a moniker this bursting with astonishment, one better deliver the goods. Blessedly, Holy Fuck most definitely does. Working with the belief system that progressive, punk-minded electronica doesn't require laptops for production, the Toronto-based collective makes beats and breaks from more organic, childlike elements: toy phaser guns and keyboards, distortion pedals and vintage instrumentation. The volume levels aren't for the faint at heart, and the chaotic structuring will fry the synapses of linearly-inclined music fans, but open-minded listeners will be rewarded with a challenging, but thoughtfully mapped exploration of beautiful noise. With Indian Jewelry, ClipD Beaks. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $13. HANNAH LEVIN

Die Antwoord / Wednesday, October 13 See The Wire.

Miike Snow / Wednesday, October 13 See An Incomplete History.

Phantogram / Thursday, October 14

Since releasing their luminous debut LP, Eyelid Movies, on Barsuk in February, Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter of Phantogram have spent the year relentlessly touring in support of the album. Of the seemingly endless crop of boy-girl duos that have popped up in recent years, Phantogram still stands out as the sleekest, the most sophisticated, and perhaps even the most innovative—their music evenly combines unrelated elements of electronica, Motown, hip-hop, 60s French pop, and drony guitar rock. An intimidating long line of fans showed up at the pair's Neumos performance in May, so get there early. With Josiah Wolf. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 7 p.m. $15. ERIN K. THOMPSON

Superchunk / Thursday, October 14

Bands naturally have a shelf life of creative output. Thankfully, there are those weird anomalies (like Twinkies) that somehow never expire. Forming in 1989, North Carolina's Superchunk have managed to stay inexplicably fresh for 21 solid years, outliving a good deal of their peers and surviving in-band breakups (1994's Foolish is essentially the indie-rock version of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours). After a nine-year recording hiatus, 2010's Majesty Shredding finds the band having not missed a single step, returning as incredibly vital elder statesmen to multiple generations. The band's most recent live shows find Mac McCaughan and Co. joyously sprinting and pogoing through their sizeable catalog like a young, hungry band with everything to lose and without 21 years worth of laurels (and leg work) to rest on. With Teenage Fanclub, Telekinesis. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$23 DOS. All ages. GREGORY FRANKLIN

Charles Peterson / Thursday, October 14 See The Wire.

Earshot Jazz Festival / Friday, October 15–Sunday, November 7 See the music lead.

Broken Social Scene / Friday, October 15

As far as number of members go, it's hard to say where you draw the line between "band" and "orchestral ensemble." Somewhere in that grey area lies Toronto's Broken Social Scene. Appearing in configurations ranging anywhere between six and 19 members onstage at a time, it's an understatement to say the band's sound is huge and sprawling. On their most recent release, May's Forgiveness Rock Record, Broken Social Scene is more focused than ever, creating a record full of glowing sunshine that touches on the quirky grooves of Can and Os Mutantes. Equally comfortable writing driving rock anthems as they are with softly abstract, meandering slow jams, Broken Social Scene is a perfect soundtrack for the party the night before and coming back from a hangover the morning after. Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., 877-STG-4TIX. 8 p.m. $22 adv./$25 DOS. All ages. GREGORY FRANKLIN

Everclear / Friday, October 15

If you attended a suburban high school sometime in the late '90s, and you weren't exactly sure if mainstream music was your bag, Everclear was likely your gateway to alternative culture. Led by tattooed frontman Art Alexakis, Everclear combined hard-knock-life lyrics (heroin, suicide, absentee fathers) with power-pop hooks. The result was the slightly subversive but mostly radio-friendly So Much For the Afterglow, released 13 years ago this month. Plenty has changed since then: once a chart-topper, the band has had few hits in the last decade, and two of the three original members have defected, leaving only Alexakis. But 30-somethings with a soft spot for alt-rock must still know all the words to "Father of Mine" and "Everything to Everyone"—this show is already sold out. Columbia City Theater, 4918 Rainier Ave. S. 9 p.m. Sold out. PAIGE RICHMOND

Grieves & Budo / Friday, October 15

In 2003, Ben Laub was new to Seattle. So what did he do? Cloistered himself in an apartment with little aside from an MPC 2000XL making beats and writing rhymes. Just seven years later, with a debut record (2007's Irreversible) and a collaboration with talented then-local producer Budo (2008's 88 Keys and Counting) the MC better known as Grieves has relocated to Brooklyn and signed to indie hip-hop powerhouse Rhymesayers. Topping Budo's keys-heavy and instrument-driven production with forcefully delivered raps and sung vocals, it's clear he's earned his place. Not unlike labelmates Atmosphere or Slug, Grieves is quick to spill on his inner demons—but isn't afraid to use his youth or humor to combat them either. With Type. Vera Project. 305 Harrison St., 956-8372. 7:30 p.m. $11. All ages. NICK FELDMAN

Bilal / Saturday, October 16

As a member of artist collective the Soulquarians, founded by the likes of ?uestlove and J Dilla, Bilal holds his own among impressive company. But while peers and underground fans are quick to grant him respect, you won't likely catch any of his songs on the radio. Last month's Airtight's Revenge—his first full-length release in nearly a decade—takes a more genre-crossing tack than his previous material, and his vocal transitions match the eclectic sound while gliding between baritone, falsetto and silky croon. With Choklate. Nectar, 412 N. 36th St., 632-2020. 9 p.m. $15. NICK FELDMAN

Murder City Devils / Saturday, October 16

Has it really been 13 years since Spencer Moody and his band of organ-wielding, body-thrashing garage punks released their self-titled debut, Murder City Devils? So much has happened since the band exploded onto Seattle's punk scene: they released the genre-shifting Empty Bottles, Broken Hearts in 1998, recruited more members, broke up three years later, played a farewell show at the Showbox, reunited in 2006, and started to write new material this year. It's hard to imagine what Seattle would look like without them: Maybe electric organs and pirate culture wouldn't be so popular. And maybe if the band had never broken up there'd be more post-punk and noise in Seattle's current music scene and less lo-fi and folk. Let's hope the band's new material is just as surprising as their old. With Past Lives, Cold Lake. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $21 adv./$23 DOS. All ages. PAIGE RICHMOND

Drew Victor / Saturday, October 16 See Through @ 2.

M.I.A. / Sunday, October 17

M.I.A. is likely the only artist on the planet who can get away with using the phrase "rub-a-dubby-dubby-dub" as a chorus. But the quirky moments of lyrical nonsense that pervade this year's MAYA aren't just there to fuck with your brain. Most people aren't going notice the smart stuff cleverly packaged in the pulsing club jams we've grown accustomed to hearing from M.I.A., and that's the point. There's a clear theme here, and it begins with album opener "The Message," a track of someone (ostensibly M.I.A.) typing. We don't know what she's saying, but as the album progresses the point becomes clear enough: In 2010, there are a lot of ways to send a message, but nobody's really saying anything. With Rye Rye. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $35. SARA BRICKNER

Alan Wilder/Recoil / Monday, October 18

During Depeche Mode's '80s and early-'90s heyday, the way the band worked was something like this: Martin Gore wrote all the songs, Dave Gahan sang all the songs, Alan Wilder played most of the instruments, and Andy Fletcher ... well, nobody really knows what Andy Fletcher did. In 1995, after 13 years with Depeche Mode, Wilder departed under somewhat acrimonious circumstances (i.e. everyone else in the band was fucked up on drugs or booze and he was tired of being the one trying to hold everything together), taking all his musical skills to Recoil—the dark, moody, more experimental synth-rock side project he began in 1986—making it a full-time endeavor. Wilder's hitting town in support of Selected, the recently issued Recoil retrospective disc. With Architect. Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333. 7:30 p.m. $28 adv./$30 DOS. All ages. MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG

Kelley Stoltz / Monday, October 18

Against an indie-rock landscape pock-marked with sad bastards crying into their beers (and beards), San Francisco-based singer-songwriter Kelley Stoltz is a bracingly refreshing, multi-faceted performer. Dumping out the beautifully cluttered thoughts in his head with the help of a cornucopia of instruments (almost all played by himself), Stoltz has an effortless knack for threading pop hooks with unexpected flourishes of the macabre and magical. His latest, To Dreamers (which dropped this week via Sub Pop) continues this adventurous tangent, pulling in more fuzzed-out, post-punk elements while remaining true to his sun-soaked core. With Hundred in the Hands, Concours d'Elegance. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $8. HANNAH LEVIN

Twin Sister / Monday, October 18

This Brooklyn quintet's EP Color Your Life, released in March, is a hazy, freewheeling record, especially the standout track, the charming and romantic "All Around and Away We Go." Twin Sister's lush dream-pop sounds kind of like if Beach House had more members. Vocalist (and, despite their moniker, the band's sole female) Andrea Estella sings in a breathless style, backed by variegated layers of shimmering keys and guitars. This is pure relaxation music – it pristinely conjures up clouds in a blue sky, kites fluttering in the wind, or anything else related to a peaceful, breezy day. With the Morning Benders, Cults. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $13. ERIN K. THOMPSON

STRFKR / Tuesday, October 19

No official announcement's been made, but it appears that Portland's Starfucker is now going by STRFKR. At this point, Josh Hodges and co. seem to be changing their band name as frequently as Lindsay Lohan fails her drug tests. The more exciting news is that STRFKR recently signed a deal with Polyvinyl Records, the Chicago label home of the good-time electropop outfit they most resemble, Of Montreal. And STRFKR's new 7" single, released just last week, is a further sign of promising progress. "Julius" is typically glittery and synth-happy, but with a fluid, slippery groove, smoother and more psychedelic than anything else they've created. The band will release a full-length in early 2011, and if it's as good as the single, some Of Montreal-caliber attention should deservedly follow. With Octopus Project, Strength. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $13. All ages. ERIN K. THOMPSON